Ramblings of a Book-A-Holic

I loved this book more than I thought I would.

I felt so connected to Ari; the writing style of Ms Rosenthal really lets you get in her head. Ari is just your typical high schooler. Her sister got married and pregnant at 18 so their mother has always been hard on Ari, pushing her to be her best, as a way to right the wrongs of her older sister. For the most part, Ari did just that. However, life isn't always so eay for her. She's been in love with her sister's husband Patrick since she was 10 years old. Her sister also gets very depressed easily, and her kids prefer Ari to their own mother.

The characters spoke out to you. They seemed like real people. Ari's best friend Summer was just a horrible friend. Ari and Summer had been friends forever; Summer was her only friend. And Summer liked to keep it that way. She didn't like when Ari met Leigh and they started hanging out and getting close. Summer was the kind of person who liked having someone they thought was below them to hang around with because she felt it made her look better. I hated her. She really treated Ari badly. Leigh and Ari had a lot in common, and also a rough past. They were good for eachother. But when Ari meets Leigh's cousin Blake, she falls in love instantly. Leigh feels left out after a few months, and when she moves to California, her annd Ari don't part on good terms. I had liked Blake for the most part. But he needed to learn to put his wants ahead of his father.

This book was heart-breaking at times. I was really rooting for Blake and Ari. Ari had gone through so much in a few short months following meeting Leigh. I felt as though I could sort of relate with Ari. She was a migraine sufferer, and so am I. It's hard, I know, and it can be very debilitating. As for her "deformity"(which I don't really want to say, it's sort of embarassing lol), it's not as uncommon as she believes and yes, it is annoying and can make you uncomfortable with yourself, but it's not the worst thing in the world and most people don't even notice, so it's no big deal.

As I said, I really liked this book. Obviously enough to give it 5 stars (err...butterflies actually :)). I would reccommend this book to anyone who is a fan of realistic fiction. I normally don't read too much of it, but I really enjoyed this one. I would say though, that's its probably more for girls, but if you're a guy, go ahead and read it! I won't stop you :)

There are no words I could use that could describe how much I loved this heart breaking, emotional book. review to come soon

I actually managed to finish this somehow while panicking over my final exams; yay! Now back to studying...joy. Review to come, sometime next week :)

Torn between a 4 or 5 for this book. After I write a detailed review, I may change the rating, but for now, let's just say it was about a 4.5 :-)

Prepare yourselves for a RANT! (Read this at your own risk, can't guarantee I won't spoil the book. My rants are uncontrollable)


This book...I don't even know...too many things bothered me. I suppose a good place to start off is with Clary. SHE'S SO FREAKING USELESS! This girl, throughout the whole book, did absolutely nothing! Okay, maybe that's not true. She did save Jace at the end, so that counts for something. So stabbed him and he's saved, Woo-Hoo! But seriously, that's all she did. She kept making stupid, stupid plans and ignoring everybody who told her that they were indeed stupid. And pleaseeee, everytime she referenced to how Jace wasn't her Jace because he was possessed, I wanted to kill myself. "He was Jace, but he wasn't my Jace", "I had to remind myself, he wasn't really Jace", "My Jace didn't act like this" -___- Oh, and not only does she ignore others when they tell her not to do something, but she doesn't even listen to herself! She didn't want to get close to Jace because he wasn't really her Jace, and you know how she keeps her distance? By making out with him and nearly sleeping with him on numerous occassions, even while repeatedly telling herself that he is not her Jace. And back to her uselessness, the first time she nearly slept with him at this nightclub, she was getting high off faerie glitter while Simon and all the others where trying to figure out a way to save the two of them.


So I will stop complaining about Clary and talk about things I did like. I loved Jordan and Maia! Their parts of the book were so cute and I'm glad they got together. And Simon was always entertaining.


Magnus and Alec, they totally broke my heart at the end. I was so upset. Alec was being such an idiot (almost as big of an idiot as Clary).


Now, before I go on, can I just ask how does one smell boy? There was one part, I don't really remember where, where someone was describing something and they said it "smelled of boy". What does boy smell like? Do boys have a particular smell? Can I go to the store and buy boy in a fragrance? My friend and I were reading this book together and where just like, what??? Also, we cry with our throats now? "I could feel the tears in the back of my throat." Yeah...we didn't get that either. Tears don't originate in our throats last time I checked.


Moving on to Sebastian. What a little creep! I always thought he was nuts but then towards the end, he just got plain disturbing. Throughout the book, he kept making inappropriate comments at Clary, his sister! And at the end, it just got weird. He was like in love with her or something. He kept telling her she belonged to him and kept trying to kiss her. I don't care if they weren't raised together, they're still brother and sister and that was just...blehhhh.


Even though this book irritated me, I did enjoy it, for the most part. I will be reading the next book when it is released.

Read it for a school Tall Tale project we are starting for my Humanities class. Some of the stories were pretty amusing :)

One of my best friends first introduced me to the Siren series a while ago and I really enjoyed the first one. This book, however, disappointed me a bit.

It takes place where Siren leaves off, which was great. There were parts I liked, and others I didn’t, and some I just hated. My friend warned me that I would get pretty frustrated with Vannessa, and at first I didn’t understand why, but then, I did.

One thing that I absolutely loved in Siren was Vanessa and Simon’s relationship. Simon is such a sweet guy and he’s been in love with Vanessa since they were little kids, which only made their relationship all the more adorable. This book, however, crushed my hopes of a happy ending with the introduction of yet another infamous love triangle.

My favorite part of the whole book may have been Vanessa’s father’s story. I was really intrigued by it in the first book and was dying to know the while story. It’s rather complicated, as these things always are, but without it, I don’t know if I would have been able to endure the whole book. I felt like not much really happened until the last fifty pages. Most of it just seemed to be Vanessa agonizing over her relationship with Simon and the Parker situation.

I don’t really have anything against Parker. He’s just not Simon; and I’m going to leave it at that.

There were times also, when a chapter would end at a really intense moment, but when you’d start reading the next one, it would start off like a week later. I was always wondering why, because it felt like more should have been explained. It was like jumping from one place to another.

Overall, I’m not sorry I read it. It answered a lot of the questions I was left with at the end of Siren. It also made me form new questions, one being: What will happen with Vanessa and Simon’s relationship in the future? Vanessa, I might have lost respect for, but I do hope things work out. The one thing about love triangles is they always keep you guessing and wondering.

Review to come.

I had first picked up this book from the library, but didn't get around to reading it until about a month later. I was super busy at the time, and my roommate wanted to read it so I let her borrow it. While she read it, my roommate kept telling me how great it was and how I was "just going to LOVE it!" So, by the time I finally got aroud to reading Everneath, I had higher expectations than I had orignally had. Now, did the book live up to my sky-high expectations? ABSOLUTELY!

I loved this book from start to finish. I am so glad I read it, and think Ashton did an amazing job with this book. It had an extremely addicting storyline and went by at a fast pace. This book is espcially great for all those out there who love a new, modern take on Greek mythology because it was basically a retelling of the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

The timing and pacing of the events in the book were just right; not too fast, or snail paced. The reader gets to know and love Nikki more as the story unravels. Each character involved in Nikki's life has a deep connection with her; one that will affect her in a way that will move the reader. The story isn't just a love story; it also shows thse importance of family and friends.

The world building was also quite excellent. The Everneath sounded dark, and mysterious; a place no one would ever want to be trapped in. Ashton also did a great job with research in the original myth. Nikki Beckett was a strong heroine and definitely likeable. She wasn't one of those annoying, whinny protagonists you so often come across in YA novels. She was never selfish and always thought about others, especially here family and friends.

Now, let's talk about the perfectly wonderful Jack Caputo.

“Stay with me, Becks. Dream of me. I am ever yours.”

Before they became romantically involved, Nikki and Jack were firends. He was the kind of guy who knows he is attractive but doesn't really seem to care, or use it to act like a jerk. He had the perfect blend of good looks, personality, and charisma. He never gave up on Nikki, and always had the hope that she would come back and everything would be alright again. He was willing to risk everything for her when she finally came back. He was loyal, and wiling to fight for her because, he loved her; that's all there is to it.

The ending was good as well. It was SO SAD and HEARTBREAKING, but leaves us with so many questions and dying to get our greddy little hands on the next book. All in all, everyone should read this book. It was amazing, and has a bit of everything for everyone's individual tastes.

First off, I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free. I was so excited going into the book, and was even more ecstatic when I actually began it.


This book was remarkable. D.D. Chant is a very talented writer; the Prologue of the novel drew me in instantly. I liked how it was a letter written by Lady Quill addressed to us, the readers; it was definitely a unique start.


I LOVED the historical aspect. I had been getting into Historical Fiction lately so this was definitely something that quenched my thirst for it. The story itself was captivating, and there were times throughout the book where I didn't want to put it down. The dialogues between the characters seemed natural and far from normal cliches.


I really liked the characters in general. Adele was a very likeable character, however, her friend Eda did get on my nerves just a tad sometimes. Lord Rafe...now, I feel like a lot of the problems the character faced in this book could have all been avoided if Rafe had just been honest about who he really was right from the start, but then, there wouldn't be a story would there? ;)


I felt that the reason behind hiding who he was to Adele at first was sweet in a way. He wanted to get to know his future bride, and to have her like him in turn for who he really was, not just because he was Lord Rafe and their marriage was forced. I liked how their romance blossomed; how he didn't fall instantly in love with her at first sight, but rather, the more he got to know her, the more his feelings began to grow.


Overall, this book was a fantastic start as to what I perceive to be a wonderfully intriguing series. I can't wait for more from D.D. Chant and thank her again for allowing me to review this amazing read.

Let me just start of by saying that as a child, the film adaption of this book was one of my favorite movies to watch as a child. I remember everytime it was on TV, I would drop everything I was doing and watch it with my mom, no matter how late it was. Having said that, one can guess the exctiement I felt at finally getting around to reading the novel that inspired one of my favorite movies.


I went into this novel expecting it to be different from the movie, as most books-made-movies generally are. I tried to seperate the two because I didn't want to let my bias of the movie cloud the novel itself. So, after much determination to keep the movie and book seperate, I sat down and began to read, and let me just say, the book is every bit as good as the movie. 'Course, the two had some major differences. For one thing, Sara's doll Emily was Indian in the book, but I don't believe she was in the movie. Also, her father had bought her another doll too in the book. SOmething else that was different was how in the book, Sara was at Ms. Minchin's school for a few years, as opposed to the movie where she wasn't there for as long.


But, onto the story itself. Just as beautiful and heart-wrenching as the movie. I'm going to be honest, the movie always makes me cry. Yes, I am 18 years old, crying during a movie I've seen hundreds of times. But I can't help it. The writing was beautiful, though sometimes when Becky spoke I was like, "Whatttt???" Since she was not educated, she didn't speak so well, so it was sometimes hard to understand what she was saying. Sara seemed so much more strange when reading the book than she did in the movie. Not strange in a BAD way, just a little peculiar for a child of her age. She read a wide variety of books and had knowledge even those beyond her years would never have. She also had a rather large imagination. She liked to believe that dolls would come to life when they were alone in a room and would run back in their places when they heard you coming. Now, most little girls would find that fascinating, I personally find it scary. I have an irrational fear of dolls (Like porcelein dolls and stuff, barbies are okay xD), so that would not be a very comforting thought for me. They're just so creepy...


Oh how I hate Ms. Minchin! She's just a grumpy, miserable lump of a woman. Just had to throw that out there.


Overall, I was not disappointed by the book at all. I'm not really sure why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Though I really enjoyed the book, I didn't LOVE it like crazy. If I had the chance to talk to Frances Hodgson Burnett, I would thank them for writing such a magical, heartwarming story that is so close to my heart and has given me so many wonderful memories to carry with me throughout life for I know, this will alsways remain one of my all time favorite stories/movies. And always remember, everyone is a princess at heart:

“Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.”

In case you have never seen the movie and would like to check it out, here is a link to the movie's IMDB page for more information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113670/

Also, below is a video of some clips from the movie. I couldn't find an actual trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jfLDWbEppvA

Oh. My. Gosh. This book was amazing! Can't believe the ending. Waiting for the next book is going to be torture :(

After reading Harrington’s book Clarity, I was DYING for the next book. And I was not disappointed when I finally got my hands on it. Kim Harrington has a talent for keeping you guessing throughout her stories. There was never a second in Perception where I lost interest or became bored. I love Kim’s style of writing. When an author has the ability to write in a way that keeps you hooked on her every word and glued to your seat, you know they are something special; and talented. Reading her books, you don’t feel like you’re reading words on a page…how should I put this? It’s almost like you are in the book with the characters, picking up all the little clues and hints thrown at you along the way, and you’re trying to help put all the pieces together and help the characters, if that makes any sense haha.

But anyway, on to the book itself. You have most of the same characters, plus the introduction of a few new ones. I don’t really have anything bad to say about this book. It had me guessing up to the very end. I would definitely recommend this book and series to anybody; I feel as though it has a little bit of something for everyone. Yes, there is a love triangle, but when isn't there one? It’s a hard fact to face, but nowadays they are pretty much unavoidable in YA novels. I can’t say I was happy or disappointed with who Clare eventually chose.

I have to add, because I’m a major dork, that I got so excited by this ONE line from the book:

“You don’t realize it do you?”
I blinked twice. “Realize what?”
“What makes you different makes you beautiful.”

Now, I LOVED this because if any of you have ever seen the Princess Diaries, there’s a song in it called ‘What Makes You Different (Makes You Beautiful)’ sung by the Backstreet Boys, who just so happen to be the love of my life (I’m pretty obsessed, have been since I was 4). So I have to give you huge points for that Kim, lol. I had a total BSB moment there and couldn’t stop singing the song after reading that line.

So back to the review, if you’ve read Clarity, then read this book. If you haven’t read Clarity, then read it, THEN read this book! You won’t be disappointed, and if you are then that’s okay too 

I don't know what I was expecting when I went into this book since I picked it up randomly at the library, not knowing much about it, but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. More detailed review to come soon :))

So this book: I really liked it, didn’t LOVE it, but liked it enough to give it 4 stars.

I really liked the plot of the story more than I thought I would; it was more dynamic than most other plots. Ploblems would happen, then, they would get solved and a new problem would surface. The story did revolve around one particular problem, but it didn’t suffocate the story; meaning, there was still room for other little complications to pop up here and there. Towards the end, you discover some slightly shocking secrets. Of course, if you’re perceptive enough, you can probably have it figured out before Violet does, because I’m sorry, but at times that girl was just a tad on the slow side…

LOVE TRIANGLE! For the love of all things holy, WHY? I mean, I knew there would be one; I tend not to be surprised anymore by them because it seems there can’t be a single YA book in which the protagonist is happy with the guy right in front of her :/ Seriously, I loved Lincoln from the first time he was introduced. I can understand why Violet was mad at him for not telling her his big secret, but it’s not like he really had a choice. He wanted to tell her, but wasn’t allowed. I just felt like she was a little too hard on him about that. I mean, she has to right to be mad for a while, but she was just plain mean and hateful at times and he was nothing but sweet. I wanted to slap her across the face sometimes. Phoenix was okay, sort of cocky, but not a bad guy. Well, that’s not true…I sort of want to say something here but it would be giving away too much so I’m going to move on before I say something that might ruin the book for you guys.

Overall, the writing was done very well. For the most part, I was caught up in the book, except at some points where I lost a bit of interest; luckily, my attention was never lost for long. I was iffy at first with reading an angel novel. I’ve read some which I really liked, and others that I just hated. I refuse to buy into that whole, “Angels-Are-The-New-Vampires” ideal because for one, it’s just plain stupid! Two, even if angels are the so-called “next-big-thing”, I’m entitled to my own opinion and don’t feel as though pop culture can tell me what I should or should not be reading. So now that that rant is done lol, I would recommend this book to angel lovers, but mainly just to those looking for a good paranormal read. It has the romance, suspense, mystery, and action, so basically something for everyone. I look forward to the next book.

In this bittersweet romance, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever.

Amy is drawn to the misty, mysterious clearing behind her Aunt Mae’s place because it looks like the perfect place to hide from life. A place to block out the pain of her last relationship, to avoid the kids in her new town, to stop dwelling on what her future holds after high school.

Then, she meets a boy lurking in the mist—Henry. Henry is different from any other guy Amy has ever known. And after several meetings in the clearing, she’s starting to fall for him.

But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of the clearing, it’s still 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past, staving off the tragedy that will strike them in the future. Amy’s crossing over to Henry’s side brings him more happiness than he’s ever known—but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.

In The Clearing, author Heather Davis crafts a tender and poignant tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny—a perfect book to slip into and hide away for awhile.


I had randomly come across this book in the library and was immediately drawn to it. Perhaps is was the cover, which I thought was really pretty, or the True Love is Timeless stamped on the front. I'm a sucker for these kind of stories, I'll admit. But whatever the reason, I picked it up and checked it out. I didn't know at the time that this would become perhaps my favorite book.

I loved this book from page one. Davis did a great job with telling the story. I liked how she didn't spoil Amy's past right away. She gave subtle hints suggesting she was a victim of an abusive relationship, but never actually confirming it until later on. I also loved how it was told from both Henry and Amy's perspectives. The plot never got dull and I was always anxious to see what would happen next.

Amy was a very likable main character. Sometimes in novels like this, the leading ladies are irritating and overdramatic, however, despite the hardships she went through, Amy held her ground. Sure there were times when she broke down, but that's understandable considering her situation. She had a realistic relationship with her Aunt Mae; Mae was not overly protective, but she did care deeply for Amy, she just didn't want to be so controlling. They had a trusting relationship, more like a friendship which I thought was sweet.

Henry-what is there to say about Henry? He's the perfect boy. Always a gentleman and extremely sweet. The fact he was from the 40s just gave him this cute, likable quality and made me want a Henry of my own lol

The end was pretty good. I would have liked it to end a different way, of course, but this was a nice alternative. So, if you're into the whole paranormal romance twilight thing but are tired of vampires/werewolves like me (love them but vampires are being seriously overplayed and its kinda annoying, but i'll continue reading them anyway :)) then this book is perfect for you. Enjoy!